Javert
by Mirah the Mad Catter
Summary: "Why....why didn't you leave me in the street to die?" "Mercy..."
1. Javert Part First

Javert  
  
Part First  
  
He walked slowly, but with a purpose. His eyes scanned both sides of the street, searching for signs of foul play in the people he passed.. As each person passed unmolested, they breathed a sigh of relief as one would after a storm had passed. On one particular day not unlike the others, those black eyes failed to notice two women observing him as he patrolled his beat. The two women were new faces in that section of the city and so it was only be extreme chance that Javert missed them . "I think there's a sadness there, Frances." the younger woman remarked to her friend as they watched the stony officer pass by them on the street. Her companion, an older, more sensible woman, frowned slightly at her friend's hopelessly romantic notions. "Nonsense. There is nothing sad about that man. If you ask me, he's arrogant. Arrogant and far too proud." She pursed her lips sternly and tucked away a loose strand of hair. Her words were lost on her younger friend, however, for she had gone on regarding Javert as one does who is trying to solve a difficult puzzle. "Do you think that-" "Ladies, what causes this holdup?" called a brusque voice from over Frances shoulder. Frances gasped and turned so suddenly that Lily half expected to see a murderer or someone equally dangerous. Lily glanced over Frances' shoulder to see Inspector Javert standing there. "Inspector Javert." Lily greeted politely. Javert ignored her, still addressing Frances. "What causes this loitering?" he repeated stonily. Lily averted her gaze somewhat timidly. "We meant no harm, sir-" "And a good day to you, sir!" Frances broke in, and taking Lily's arm, steered her around and away from Javert. As soon as they were out of hearshot, Frances huffed and scowled and fussed with her hair angrily.  
  
Eventually, tired of Javert's inexorable bullying, the older woman persuaded her friend to choose a different route through the city for their walks. The days grew shorter and colder and a bitterness could be felt when one stepped outside his or her door. Eventually the snows came and the peaceful city was blanketed in snow and silence. The streets were perpetually empty save for the occasional person rushing home from an emergency trip to the butcher or the infermery. Frances took sick in early December with influenza and received doctor's orders to remain bedridden for two weeks. Lily resolved that she wouldn't walk without Frances, but with some scolding and shoving, was persuaded to go out on her own. On one such night. Lily was out by herself walking down Rue D' Claveau when she spotted a familiar figure under the light of one of the many sodium lamps that dotted the street. The name behind the figure was none other than Msr L' Inspecteur. The orange cast of the sodium lamp shone harshly upon the Inspector, sharpening his features and enclosing them in the dark shadow created by his hat. Regardless, Lily reflected, there was something handsome about him. "Goodness..no one should be out in this weather, and at night.." Lily thought and resolved she was foolish being out herself in the freezing temperatures. The slight woman turned down the alleyway and headed toward Ferrule Avenue and home.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Javert stood stonily under the lamp, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his greatcoat. It did little good, however, as they'd been numb for hours. Ice covered his sideburns and the hair tied back at the nape of his neck. Even his eyelashes bore a fine film of ice, but it was all of little consequence. His shift would end in little more than an hour and he could retire for the night. Despite his best efforts to ward off the drowsy feeling that enveloped him, Javert's eyes began to close as hypothermia set in. All his extremities had lost feeling, and he began to shiver. Javert scowled and cursed his weakness even as his eyes began to shut. A woman's shrill scream brought him to his senses. The sound had come from the alleyway in which a woman had passed a few minutes earlier. Javert, now fully alert, set off in that direction with a flurry of coattails.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Lily cried out as the child dashed off with her handbag. It wasn't so much that the money, but the bag was a family heirloom. Lily gave chase and called for help. The urchin turned back to see Lily chasing him and collided with someone and fell back in the snow. "GET OUTTA-uh, I-I-I-Inspector Javert!" Javert hauled the youth up by his collar and shook him to his feet. "What reason have you to be running in the street at this hour? Speak!" he demanded of the stuttering child. "I.I.I wuz-" "Stop stuttering, boy!" Lily caught up to the pair, her coat flying open and her hair streaming loose around her shoulders. "Msr L'Inspecteur!" Javert glanced up, and the urchin used the momentary distraction to shake out of his grasp and flee down the alleyway. He threw Lily's handbag at her as he passed and disappeared around the corner. Lily turned back to the inspector, her treasured handbag clutched to her chest and a quizzical expression on her face. Why had he not pursued the boy? Then Lily saw his face. Even in the dim light of the lamp, his face was pallid and his lips,too held a bluish cast. "Msr?" The inspector made a visible effort to shake away the sickness that was quickly blurring his vision, but he was too far gone. "Mademoiselle.." Lily barely had time to dash forward to catch Javert as he lost consciousness and pitched forward.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
She couldn't leave him. His skin burned with fever and would surely die should she leave, however briefly, even to find help. Lily had taken off her coat and wrapped it around the Inspector, leaving her exposed to the biting cold. He was easily twice her size and Lily had to fairly drag him through the snow. She paused in front of Mme. Dolier's door. When the mistress opened the door, Lily begged to her to help carry to the Inspector home. Mme Dolier looked horrified. "I.I am sorry, mademoiselle! We are out of room!"  
  
With that, she shut the door quickly, leaving Lily, dumbfounded, to drag Javert home. 


	2. Chapter 2 Metamorphosis

                                              Javert

                                                                                Part Second

            Javert awoke slowly, his eyes burning and every muscle aching. He lay in a bedroom, obviously a women's with it's lace curtains, through which bright morning sunlight filtered. Javert sat up in bed painfully, gritting his teeth as a jolt of pain shot through his forehead and the room spun. 

            Lily moved quietly about their small kitchen, placing dishes on two serving trays- one for Frances and one for Javert. For Frances, Lily prepared her usual breakfast and some tea. For the Inspector she poured a teacup's worth of tea and placed a pill on the small serving dish. 

            Lily first visited Frances, resolving not to tell her about Javert. Having supplied her with fresh pillows, reading material and the kitten, Amelia, Lily exited Frances' room to wake the Inspector. She peered inside to see Javert sitting up in bed. 

            "Ah, Msr is awake." She said softly and entered the room. She frowned at his pale face. "Lord, you look a sight….I'll summon the doctor in a few minutes." Lily set the tray down on the bedside table. 

            "That will not be necessary. I shall be returning to my duty as soon as you'll retrieve my clothing for me." 

            Javert's greatcoat hung on the antique coat rack in the entry hall where Lily had hung it the previous night. 

            "Really, Msr…" Lily scolded. "You're very sick." Her voice softened somewhat. "You almost died last night…you'll die still without medical attention." 

            Javert eyed her evenly. "Then I shall die doing my duty."

            Lily looked aghast. "You most certainly will not!" she picked up the pill and placed it in Javert's hand. "Take this. It's for the pain. It had better be gone when I come back!" Lily warned and exited the small bedroom. 

            As soon as she had gone, Javert set the pill stubbornly on the bedside table and tried to locate his clothing. His officer's boots stood in the hallway outside the bedroom door, but the location of the rest of his clothing was a mystery to him. 

            Lily reentered the room and frowned at him. 

            "It was not a request, Msr. The pill." She said firmly. 

Javert scowled at her and Lily laughed lightly. 

            "For God's sakes, man! It's not poison!" she put the pill once more into Javert's hand and handed him the tea, eyeing him sternly. Javert took the pill, however reluctantly, and pushed down a wave of nausea. He lay back down on the pillows and was asleep half a minute later. 

                                                      *~*~*

There was a cool cloth on his forehead when he awoke once more. The blankets had been pulled up to his forehead. Javert opened his eyes to see Lily sitting in a chair beside the bed, moistening the cloth in a bowl of cool water. He sat up carefully to look at the girl seated beside him. She smiled warmly. 

            "Feeling better?"

            "Slightly." Javert muttered. He looked at the girl scrutinizingly. "Why didn't you leave me in the street to die?"

            Lily looked at him quizzically. "How could I?"

            "I would not have done the same for you." Javert said sternly. 

            Lily held his gaze evenly. "I know. But I didn't do it for me, or because I wanted repayment. I couldn't let you die…Mercy, I suppose."

            This had been the first incident in which someone had shown him mercy, and Javert could not understand why anyone would. Never before in his life had he experienced it, and at first it angered . Damned if he'd been in the debt of a woman! 

                                                ~*~*~*

            He began a long and hard journey to accept, to forgive…to love. At first, he rebelled, shoving all thoughts of Lily out of his mind obstinately, like rubbish dumped outside one's door. He refused to think of her and for days ignored her when he saw her on the street. How dare she torment him so!

            The change was slow and unrecognizable at first. However, after extended periods without seeing her taking her walks with her friend, Javert began to…to miss her. As soon as he recognized the longing, it ashamed him and he reverted once again to his rejection of all hints of her, all reminders that she existed. 

            It drove him to the very edge of madness. After a particularly violent episode with an unwilling prisoner at the jail, the chief of Police ordered Javert to take a two-week leave of absense. 

            "Msr  Javert, you need rest and time away. You take your duties too seriously and it is affecting your work and your health. I shall see you back here in two weeks."

                                                                                                                                                                  "Oui, Msr."

                                                            *~*~*

Lily sat in her parlor darning a pair of her servant Rene's socks when Frances entered the parlor holding the day's mail, her hands shaking and her face pale. 

             "Lily…"

            "Frances?" Lily rose concernedly. "What's wrong?"

            "You have received a letter from Msr L'Inspecteur.."

Lily gasped and rushed to France's side, opening the letter feverishly. It was sealed with Javert's black wax seal. She read the note aloud. 

            "Mlle Duvall, I am not well currently. Something has been affecting my health and my work, and I must speak to you as soon as is possible. Inspector Javert."

            Lily took a breath. 

            "Oh, dear….oh, dear…"  
She would have gone on repeating the phrase had Frances not interrupted. 

            "What does it mean??"

            "I…I don't know!" Lily said softly. Making up her mind, she dashed into the entry hall and grabbed her overcoat from the coat rack. "Frances, please telephone the Inspector and tell him to meet me at Le Café Noire!" With that, Lily pulled on her coat and left the house at a run. 

                                                                        *~*~*

                        End of Part Second! What did you think? Please review! Or email me at TigerStripes@catsfans.com


	3. Chapter 3 Altercation

She waited anxiously at the corner of Rue Devereau and Gillenormande. Finally the Inspector appeared. His tall figure came over the top of the hill at Gillenormande and slowly approached her. Strange, his gait was usually so quicky…and there was a tiredness to his step that worried Lily. She met him halfway. Lily's gaze flickered upward to the scratch on his forehead, and the one at his jawline. Javert noticed.

             "Your head." Lily said softly. "Are you alright?"

            "Quite." There was a hint of something different in his voice that Lily wasn't sure she liked. It didn't have its usual sharp-edged curtness to it. Lily touched the scratch and Javert flinched, making the girl's eyes widen slightly. Javert didn't flinch as a rule. Lily looked him in the eyes searchingly.

            "Monseiur-"

Javert cut her off. "I must speak to you. But not here. Follow me."

            He led her down Rue Devereau and to the park. Here and there, couples walking hand in hand strolled, chatting easily. Lily reflected wistfully as she followed the Inspector that she'd never yet been one of the couples. The pair reached a fontain at the west end of the park, far from all else. Javert turned to her and for once in his life, seemed unsure of himself. 

            "Mademoiselle…I have not been well lately…"

            "I read so in your note—"

            "Please..this is not easy for me. I…I must tell you that…your presence hs had a profound effect on me, and I…I find myself…" Javert turned his head toward the fountain, searching for the right words. Lily stepped toward him. 

            "Monsieur…"

_How can I tell you of my feelings for you when I am nothing to you?_

"That day you saved my life… no one has ever shown me such mercy. Or such forgiveness.." Javert looked back at Lily, his black eyes conveying his his inner turmoil. "Your very presence torments me…I cannot convey my feelings for you. I cannot sleep at night, for you are there. I will not eat during the day.."

            Lily's face conveyed her astonishment. The hard, unfeeling Inspector had a heart. And it was in pain. 

            _Your very presence torments me…_

Lily approached Javert, her eyes searching his. Javert looked at her and the two locked gazes. Neither could tear their eyes away. Lily stepped forward until she stood more inches away. 

            "I didn't know.." she whispered. "Why didn't you write me sooner??"

            "I…I was too proud." A muscle flexed in Javert's jaw and th girl sensed he was holding back even still. He stood stiffly in front of her, only his black eyes moving between hers. Had she looked down, Lily would've seen his hands shaking. She brushed his hair out of his eyes so she could see them better. 

            "How you bottle your emotions so…" Lily said softly. "Why is it you always wear a mask?"

                                                             *~*~*

An associate of Javert's happened to be strolling through the West end of the park with his wife one afternoon when he happened to glance over at the fountain. Javert stood there with a woman, and they were standing quite close together. 

            "Well, I'll be—Mary, look!"

His wife gave a startled gasp and her jaw fell.

            "Will you look at that! It's M. L'Inspecteur!"

            "Am I mad??"

            "Rhett, manners!" his wife scolded. The man grinned. 

            "Who is the girl? She's quite a little thing, isn't she? "

            "Indeed…why, it's Lily Duvall!" Mary giggled almost girlishly and pulled her husband forward. "Let's give them their privacy…"

Javert had turned his back, overcome by emotion he had worked so hard for so long to conceal from the world. Lily waited for him to turn back to her. When he did, his eyes flashed and it scaredher. The close proximity made it all the more intimidating. 

            "My heart…that was once incapable of feeling, of love…All I've seen…I've been taught to hate. It seems…" Javert broke off. Dare he say it? Did he dare expose his feelings?

            "I've also been taught to love…"

Lily gave a cry and for a moment Javert thought he'd angered her. Only when the slight female threw her arms around him, laughing and crying at once did he realize her true emotion. 

            "Monsieur, I thought you'd  never say it!" she cried, her face buried in his black greatcoat. Javert relaxed, emotionally exhausted and returned the embrace. The pair sank down to sit on the stone ledge of the fountain and for several minutes, neither released the other. At length, Lily lifted her head from Javert's shoulder and looked at him, tears in her green eyes. 

            "You should have told me sooner…" she said quietly. "You were not the only one in torment.."

Javert allowed his jaw to drop slightly. He brushed a tear from the girl's eye. 

            "Darling girl….how could I cause you pain?"

Lily wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked up at the Inspector and was amazed at how he'd changed in her eyes in just a few minutes. His features were less hard-edged  and shrewd as they once had been. Now they had a strong, yet boyish quality. Lily slipped her small hand into Javert's larger one and stood up. 

            "I should return. Frances will likely be worrying herself sick."

Javert nodded and stood up. Lily was struck with how much taller he was. 

            "Are you going to tell Frances..?"

Lily smiled. "Not just yet."


End file.
